The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Field Office-8 (Eastern Visayas) launched the Walang Gutom 2027: Food Stamp Program (FPS) in Leyte province on Thursday (July 18).

“Nakikita po ninyo ngayon, narito magkasama ang national government at ang local government na nagtutulungan para mapunan ang inyong pangangailangan sa pagkain. Dahil sa ilalim po ng Bagong Pilipinas ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos, tandaan ninyo po, pangako namin sa inyo, hindi po kayo papabayaan ng gobyerno. Magkakasama po kami, pagtutulungan namin para ibigay yung pangangailangan ninyo,” DSWD Undersecretary for Innovations Edu Punay told the FSP beneficiaries at the Sports Complex in Palo, Leyte during the launching.

To formalize the program’s implementation in the locality, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed by Undersecretary Punay, Regional Director Grace Subong for the DSWD and Palo Mayor Remedios Petilla for the local government unit (LGU) and representatives of partner-merchants that include the USSC, DIGIPEP and LAMPCO.

After the MOA signing, some 152 FSP beneficiaries from the Palo municipality were able to participate in the program’s first redemption day.

They were able to use their Php3,000 food credits to purchase nutritious food items from the partner-merchants and retailers.

The FSP is a priority program of the Marcos Administration that provides beneficiaries with access to monetary-based assistance and nutrition education to teach them how to prepare healthy and safe meals for the family.

The program also invites beneficiaries to become productive citizens through skills training and participation in government-organized job fairs. #